Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys 1,884,577 Shares of Target Corporation $TGT

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund dramatically increased its Target stake by 6,639.1% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 1,884,577 shares and bringing its total position to 1,912,963 shares worth about $187 million.
• Target reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.71 and revenue of $25.44 billion, while also issuing FY2026 guidance of 7.50 to 8.50 EPS.
• The company also raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 per share, and analysts currently have a consensus rating of Hold with an average price target of $126.11.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT - Free Report) by 6,639.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,912,963 shares of the retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,884,577 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned approximately 0.42% of Target worth $186,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC boosted its holdings in Target by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Valtinson Bruner Financial Planning LLC now owns 3,604 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period. Auxano Advisors LLC increased its stake in Target by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 3,193 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Neumann Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Target by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Neumann Capital Management LLC now owns 13,280 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $1,298,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. raised its position in Target by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 9,209 shares of the retailer's stock worth $900,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Binnacle Investments Inc raised its position in Target by 11.4% in the second quarter. Binnacle Investments Inc now owns 1,013 shares of the retailer's stock worth $100,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 79.73% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Target

In other news, insider Cara A. Sylvester sold 10,000 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.89, for a total transaction of $1,258,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 45,930 shares in the company, valued at $5,782,127.70. The trade was a 17.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Matthew A. Liegel sold 2,053 shares of Target stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.19, for a total transaction of $240,591.07. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 12,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,423,038.17. This represents a 14.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.13% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on TGT. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Target from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 6th. Piper Sandler reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Target in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Target from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, February 27th. They set an "underperform" rating and a $103.00 target price for the company. Finally, Roth Mkm reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $114.00 target price on shares of Target in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $126.11.

Target Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:TGT opened at $135.29 on Friday. Target Corporation has a one year low of $83.44 and a one year high of $136.14. The company has a 50 day moving average of $125.42 and a 200-day moving average of $113.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $61.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.00.

Target (NYSE:TGT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The retailer reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.24. Target had a net margin of 3.24% and a return on equity of 22.92%. The company had revenue of $25.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $24.66 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 EPS. Target's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Target has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.500-8.500 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Target Corporation will post 8.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Target Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. This represents a $4.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is a positive change from Target's previous quarterly dividend of $1.14. Target's dividend payout ratio is presently 60.24%.

Target Company Profile

Target Corporation NYSE: TGT is a U.S.-based general merchandise retailer headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company operates a network of full-line and small-format stores across the United States alongside a national e-commerce platform and mobile app. Target’s retail assortment spans apparel, home goods, electronics, groceries and household essentials, plus beauty, baby and pet categories. The firm complements national brands with a portfolio of owned and exclusive labels and partnerships that help differentiate its merchandise assortment.

Target traces its roots to the Dayton Company, founded by George Dayton in 1902; the Target discount chain was launched in 1962 and the parent company later adopted the Target Corporation name.

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